Set, realizing he had chased away the birds and animals, looked disappointed — which was only natural.
For Set, having playmates nearby was a joy.
So when companions that had been close by while he slept scattered the moment he woke, it was only natural for him to feel shocked.
That said, Set understood perfectly well that he was feared by many.
Because of that, while he was initially downcast, he managed to pull himself together before long.
"Gurururu."
And now, carrying Rei, Elena, and Ara on his back, he walked happily through the Treant Forest.
For Set, it was a shame the birds and animals that had gathered unnoticed had fled, but the fact they had approached at all suggested they might play together someday — or so he likely reasoned.
...To be precise, Rei was the one who had explained it to him that way.
"Rei, what will you do now? Return to Gilm?"
"Yeah, that's the plan. Though I'll be storing the woodcutters' felled lumber along the way."
"...Truly, Lord Rei's Misty Ring is remarkably convenient, isn't it?"
At Rei's words, Ara, seated behind Elena, remarked with genuine feeling.
In practice, Magic Items that could be called simplified versions of the Item Box were fairly widespread. Elena herself owned one, after all.
But a simplified version was, in the end, just that — simplified. The amount it could store was extremely limited, and unlike the Misty Ring, time still flowed for items placed inside. In other words, if you stored hot water and took it out hours later, you'd have cold water.
Of course, even with that limitation, it was still a perfectly usable Magic Item. It was, but... Elena and Ara knew the outrageous performance of Rei's Misty Ring. Given that, it was only natural to draw comparisons.
"Well, I won't deny that. It's the foundation of my strength, after all."
Rei's words were no lie. The weapons he used in combat were long-handled ones like Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear. Without the Misty Ring, he would have to carry them everywhere.
Beyond those, there were the half-broken spears he used for throwing, along with a wide variety of other Magic Items. Then there was the massive amount of meat that served as Set's food. Without the Misty Ring, Rei would have to carry all of it himself.
...For an ordinary adventurer, that was simply a given, of course. Naturally, he made practical choices — not bringing items that could be procured locally, leaving behind nonessentials, and keeping his load as light as possible.
But the foundation of Rei's comfortable lifestyle was, without question, the Misty Ring. Without it, he would have to live far more modestly on assignments — there was no comparison.
(Yeah, I'm genuinely grateful to Zephyle and the others for providing the Misty Ring.)
As he thought this, continuing onward while chatting with Elena, Ara, and Set...
"Guruu."
Set suddenly let out a troubled-sounding cry.
Since it was rare for Set to make such a noise, Rei wondered what was wrong and stroked his neck.
"What is it?"
"Guruu? ...Gurururuu."
At Rei's words, Set glanced around with a soft cry.
At first, Rei couldn't tell what Set was trying to say, but after a moment, it clicked.
"Don't tell me... you got lost?"
"Gururuu."
At Rei's words, Set let out a mournful cry. Seeing that, Rei understood exactly what he was feeling. It seemed Set had genuinely gotten lost in the Treant Forest.
(But why? For Set to get lost here... well, I can't say it's absolutely impossible.)
Given that Set was somewhat prone to losing his sense of direction, it wouldn't be strange for him to get turned around in a place like this. But he had been to the Treant Forest many times. Getting lost in such familiar territory was unthinkable.
"Well, if you're lost, it can't be helped. I'll have Elena and Ara dismount, and we'll take to the sky to find our way out from above."
"Guruu!"
As if saying I'll leave it to you! — still disappointed at getting lost in a place he knew — Set cried out in agreement.
Once Elena and Ara had dismounted, Set took a few running steps with Rei on his back, flapped his wings, and launched himself into the sky, and then...
'Kyaa!'
Several screams suddenly echoed through the surroundings, and at the same time, a sharp sound like glass breaking — a crisp crack — rang out all around.
In the next moment, Set glanced back at Rei on his back with a troubled look while still in flight.
What Set was trying to say... and what had just happened — Rei understood immediately.
Getting lost in the Treant Forest where he shouldn't have — though with Set, "shouldn't have" wasn't an absolute. The glass-breaking sound that had erupted the instant he took flight, and the screams that came from out of nowhere. Above all, considering the current situation in the Treant Forest...
"A fairy, huh."
"Gururururuu."
As if agreeing, Set rumbled in response. He too must have felt that something had been off about the situation moments ago.
(Seriously, what is Nielson thinking? No — maybe she never actually promised to leave us alone, and that's the catch.)
If this involved an ordinary human, it wouldn't be strange to assume such a thing was impossible. But Nielson was a fairy. What was unexpected for Rei might be perfectly unremarkable from a fairy's perspective.
Of course, that didn't make it acceptable — the answer to that was a firm no. At the very least, Rei decided he would take appropriate measures the next time he ran into Nielson, even if that was tomorrow.
"Set, let's get back to the ground. We should leave this place before any fairies try pulling another strange prank."
"Guruu? ...Gururuu!"
At Rei's words, Set gave a cry of understanding and angled toward the ground.
A fairy showed itself during the descent, but perhaps sensing something from Rei and Set's demeanor, it didn't try anything further.
"Elena, Ara — you understand the situation?"
"Yes. The sound of the barrier breaking reached us as well."
"Which means this whole thing was the fairies' doing. I'm not entirely sure what possessed them to target us, though."
Rei was just as bewildered by the current situation. If anything, having personally extracted a promise from Nielson, he was all the more dubious.
(Well, considering a fairy's personality, I suppose it's not that surprising for something like this to happen.)
Rei looked upward — more precisely, at the upper branches of a nearby tree — and as if sensing his gaze, a branch swayed slightly.
It could have been the wind, but Rei suspected a fairy had been hiding there. Whether that was truly the case, he couldn't say for certain.
"Anyway, the barrier that was set up to trap us here is broken. We should be able to get out without any trouble now."
"Then let's be off. Evening is approaching. There will be crowds trying to get into Gilm."
As Elena said, many people tried to enter Gilm before nightfall — finished with work, they would either raise a ruckus at taverns or head to brothels, recharging for the day ahead.
Even so, what made things somewhat easier for Rei was that he had no need to visit the Guild under the current circumstances. Since he wasn't accepting a request there, once inside the city, he wouldn't need to wait in any lines.
...Even so, Gilm currently had far more people than before, as many had come seeking work from the Expansion Construction.
"Heeey, Rei! Got a minute?"
As they walked through the Treant Forest, a voice suddenly called out.
For a moment, Rei tensed, wondering if it was another fairy prank. But when he saw that the ones calling from between the trees were woodcutters, he felt relieved — and at the same time, he had a feeling he knew why they were calling.
Rei's group had destroyed the barrier placed by fairy pranks and immediately appeared before them. Given that, it was undoubtedly connected.
(Were there others besides us caught in that barrier? ...Well, it probably wasn't active for that long.)
Before Rei's group had gone to the Underground Space, no such barrier had existed. Which meant it must have been set up while they were below. And considering Rei's group had broken it upon emerging, it couldn't have been in place for very long.
"Did someone get lost?"
"That's right! Three of our guys suddenly went missing. You haven't seen them?"
At the expected question, Rei assured them there was no problem.
"Apparently there was a magical barrier set up, but I've already broken it. They should turn up soon!"
"Huh? A magical barrier? Who in the world would do something like that?"
One of the woodcutters grumbled with obvious displeasure as he walked toward them.
A fairy. The word rose to Rei's lips, but he had been instructed to keep the fairy situation as secret as possible. That being the case, it wasn't information he should share with the woodcutters.
...If he mentioned fairies here, there was a good chance it would be recounted as an entertaining tale at taverns and brothels by tonight.
That was why Rei shook his head at the woodcutters before him.
"Sorry, but I don't really know the details myself. Just — I hear someone's been pulling pranks in the Treant Forest lately, so you'd better stay on your guard."
Normally, erecting a barrier wasn't something achievable through mere pranks. But fortunately, only woodcutters were present — not a single adventurer in sight. Thanks to that, the finer circumstances wouldn't be discovered. That was a small mercy.
However, woodcutters had gone missing. The adventurers assigned here were undoubtedly searching for the three as well, and if they heard the details from these woodcutters, they might find things suspicious.
(That said, the adventurers stationed here are competent types trusted by the Guild. Whether they'd push hard on something that's clearly flagged as dangerous... honestly, that's a gray area.)
Rei figured that if they did press the issue, he would either deflect the conversation and keep them out of it, or if they still wouldn't let it go, he would need to have Daskar apply pressure from above. Alternatively, drawing them into the fairy matter entirely might also be an option.
"Hmm. Is that how it is. Got it. We'll just focus on searching for our three missing guys, then. What about you? You don't need to... well, you don't have to stick around with us."
The slightly hesitant tone was likely because Elena and Ara were nearby — more precisely, because Elena was there.
To the woodcutters, living their ordinary lives, she was a woman of such beauty they might see her kind once in a lifetime, if at all. In truth, there were two other women of equally stunning beauty — Marina and Vihera. But regardless, facing someone like Elena, it was unreasonable to expect them not to be nervous. One could only get used to it over time, but one or two encounters weren't nearly enough.
"Right. Sorry, but we'll be heading straight back to Gilm. I need to pick up the lumber you all felled, too."
"Yeah, understood. We're counting on you."
The woodcutter who replied to Rei looked visibly relieved. As men, they didn't dislike beautiful women... but even so, they must have judged that traveling alongside Elena was too nerve-wracking to function properly.
And so Rei's group parted ways with the woodcutters and pressed on through the Treant Forest.
"Mmm."
As they went, Elena, riding on Set's back, let out a small, dissatisfied sound.
For her part, the woodcutters' attitude hadn't been particularly agreeable. Even so, she said nothing — likely because she was accustomed to being treated that way. With beauty like hers, such reactions were surely common.
(If she were the type to be intoxicated by her own looks, she might even think her beauty was a sin or something... but knowing Elena, that's not the kind of person she is.)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei rode Set onward to collect and store the felled lumber.